Luke 1:76-78

And you child, will be called the prophet of the highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins. . . .

John the Baptist would prepare the path for Jesus to give the “knowledge of salvation

to His people by the remission of their sins.” Remission means “freedom;

(figuratively) pardon:—deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission” (Strong’s Concordance).

Under Satan’s moral law, sins were not pardoned—they were punished.

Traditionally, in Jewish thought, sins were only pardoned by the offering of sacrifices.

John discarded that system and began forgiving sins through baptism. This knowledge

of salvation then meant that the people needed to know they were pardoned. They

needed to know that they were free from the condemnation of their sins. This is what

would save them. This is how he prepared the way for Jesus, because when Jesus began

His ministry, He didn’t even baptize; He simply announced “your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus started imparting the knowledge of salvation, the knowledge of God’s

God on Trial grace, pardon and forgiveness. He began telling the people that all their sins

were forgiven. Were—past tense. They had already been forgiven. In fact, they

had always been forgiven. The gospel is an eternal gospel—eternal good news.

This was the saving knowledge Jesus came to impart.

God on Trial, p.79, 80